Been bitten lately?

Recently at a conference a preacher preached on the sending of the seventy-two in Luke 10:1-16. But Luke 10: 3, where Jesus tells the seventy-two disciples, “Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves,” kind of stuck with me. That’s really quite a statement to the sophisticated, educated, comfortable, self-sufficient disciples of our day. It is as if Jesus is sending us into danger…could that be? Well, as I interpret this passage, one really doesn’t want to be a sheep in the midst of a pack of wolves, but perhaps the passage is much more about trusting God for our provision and safety than it is about the dangers ahead. I can say that I have not trusted God before (not completely) and I have been bitten. I will also proclaim at times I have trusted God totally and I have walked thru the pack unharmed. Trust is a scary thing and it can only be learned firsthand. You can read about trust, and hear about trust, but in order to trust you must do it yourself. The passage concludes with the seventy-two joyfully proclaiming, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name,” Wow!